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Patented Aug.`30, |898.

B. C. SEATUN.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

Nrrnn STATES ATENT BENJAMIN O. SEATON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELECTRIC THIRD RAIL AND SIGNALCOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRlC RA|LwAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 610,094, dated August 30, 1898.

Application filed February 18, 1898. Serial No. 670,811. (N o model.) l

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN C. SnAroN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Electric Railways, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My present invention relates to a crossing for third rails or surface conductors for electric railways.

My invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a vertical transverse section of my improved crossing, taken on line I I, Fig. II, there being also shown in this gure in section the track-rails and part of the bridge-planks located between the track-rails and the crossing. Fig. VII is adetail side view of the crossing and part of the conductor or third rail. Fig. III is a vertical section of one of the insulating-blocks placed between the crossing and the conductor. Fig. IV is a perspective view of the crossing. Fig. V isa detail horizontal section taken on line V V, Fig II.

1 represents the track-rails; 2, the conductor or third rail; 3, the crossing to which my invention relates, and 4 the bridge-planks over which the teams pass in crossing the track. y

The third rail 2 may, so far as my present invention relates, be made in any approved form, 5 being the conductor part of the rail, formed with channels to receive feed-in or other wires 6, and which is separated from its support and from a hood 7 by strips 8`of insulation.

The crossing in transverse section conforms substantially to the shape of the third rail, so that the symmetry of the parts is preserved and the contact-shoes pass smoothly from one to the other. The crossing consists of a hoodV or cap 9, having a metallic covering uIO, and

`which is supported on channel-barsll, se-

cured to a plate 12, made fast to the ties 13.

Located in the chamber formed by the hood 9, bars 1l, and the plate 12 is a conduit 14, that is preferably divided into two compartments by a partition l5. The conduit is smaller than the chamber in which it lits, and surrounding it is a bed of concrete 16. When the parts are put together', the conduit f'orms a continuation'of the wire-receiving channels of the conductor of the third rail, so that the feed-in and other wires may extend unbroken over the crossing.

17 represents wires located in the conduit 14 and the ends Vof which are madefast to the conductor of the third rail, as shown at 1S,` Fig. V, so asto form an electric connection between the ends of the rail that are separated by the crossing, while the crossing itself is not charged. The ends of the bars ,1l of the crossing are separated from the ends of the conductor 5 of the third rail by means of blocks 19, (see Figs. III and V,) of non- 7o conducting material, so that the bars are not charged from the conductor.

The ends of the cover lO of the hood 9 preferably extend a short distance beyond the body of -the hood, so as to receive the hood of the third rail, as shown at 20, Fig. II.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an electric railway, a third rail in combination with a crossing located in a gap in the third rail and consisting of a hood, bars 8o supporting the hood, and a conduit inclosed by the hood and bars, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an electric railway, a third rail or conductor in combination with a crossing located 8 5 in a gap in the third rail; said crossing' consisting of a hood, channel-bars supporting the hood, a conduit inclosed by the hood and bars, and concrete surrounding the conduit, substantially as set forth.'

3. In an electric railway, a third rail or conductor, in combination with a crossing; said crossing consisting of a hood, channel-bars supporting the hood, a conduit inclosed by the hood and channel-bars, and concrete sur- 95 rounding the conduit; said hood having a metallic cover adapted to receive the ends of the hood of the third rail, substantially as set forth.

BENJAMIN C. SEATON.

In presence of- E. S. KNIGHT, 4SCLANLEY SroNER. 

